What They SayShikimi remains trapped in his own body, tormented by the memories of those he killed. His memories of Taki lend him the strength he needs to survive... but is it enough to overcome the demons when Taki finally fulfills his promise?

The Review!Shikimi is trapped in his own body by the little demons, with the shadows of their other victims all around him. He wants to protect Taki and his other friends, but without a body or a voice, it seems hopeless. Facing the demon-Shikimi are Laz and Grey, who has a few surprises up his sleeves. Indeed, it seems like he's been laying plans for this battle for a very long time, longer than anyone had realized, and his stake in it may be more personal than they could have guessed

The battle eventually comes down to just Shikimi and Taki, and it's as much internal as it is external. Taki, in order to prevent further innocent lives from being lost, must somehow find a way to overcome his unwillingness to kill his dearest friend, and use his powers as a Nightling to defeat Shikimi. But even if he manages to win, the cost may be his very life.

With the way the story went in the earlier volumes, it was hard to imagine an ending that was anything other than happy, even if how exactly it was going to work out was still very much in the air. This didn't disappoint - it's the sort of thing that keeps you guessing until the very end, but other than a few deus ex machina moments, it doesn't feel like too much of a stretch, either. And since this series can't seem to keep a straight face for more than a few dozen pages at a time, the two stories at the end were quite in character keeping with that theme. The bit with Laz's father was certainly an interesting touch.

While this never rose above the level of fun but average, it was nonetheless a fun series, and I'm a bit sad to see it go. It had a bit of everything - supernatural suspense, humor, and good, old-fashioned zombie killing, and it managed to balance them better than you might think. If any of that sounds intriguing, I'd recommend picking this one up.